The CRTC said it will not alter the Feb. 13 implementation deadline for Telus, Bell and SaskTel to provide competitors with workable access to their fibre networks in a decision last week that rejected Telus’s October 2024 request for a four-month extension to the implementation date in British Columbia and Alberta.
In arguing for the extension, Telus had said its systems would not be fully automated by Feb. 13 and using manual order processing created the potential for processing errors, which could have adverse effects on wholesale customers and their end users.
The telecom regulator noted in its Jan. 31 decision that “while Bell Canada and SaskTel are facing similar challenges in implementing wholesale aggregated FTTP services, both indicated that they are working towards having a workable solution ready for the deadline,” adding that this indicates the challenges the three telecoms are facing are common and not sufficient cause to extend the deadline.
The CRTC’s decision not to grant an extension to the wholesale fibre access implementation date comes just ahead of the commission determining whether the big three — Bell, Rogers and Telus — should have access to the last-mile fibre of Bell, Telus and SaskTel.
